The prior art includes many types of data encoded in files for playback on a data processing system. Two common types of audio and/or video files are Windows Media and QuickTime. These audio and/or video files are typically processed and played at a particular rate or tempo. When the tempo of playback differs from the tempo at which the audio was recorded or intended to be played, the audio pitch changes in direct proportion. However, data in a MIDI are processed as audio tracks, wherein the audio is expressed in notes and rhythms assigned to particular instrumental sounds, rather than actual sound data, so that the fidelity of the pitch is preserved despite a change in the tempo. As a tradeoff, the timbre, or the sound quality experienced when a MIDI file is played may depend upon the quality of the synthesizer and instrument samples.